Unusual Axolotls - how do I get them?

Murphy family

Murphy family

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I was wondering if anyone knew how to breed an Enigma, or any of the unusual types.Thanks.
 
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You're best off posting in the wanted section or for sale section. But the more rare a morph is, the more likely it'll be uncommon for one on sale, and if so - be willing to pay much more for one. GFP shouldn't be hard to come by.
 
I have never heard about the Enigma axolotl, would you mind posting a pic or something?
PS: I'm also looking for uncommon axolotls, so if you find something, send me a private message!
 
I don't know the genetics behind enigma but to me they just look like a wildtype with a lot of sparkly iridophores.
 
HayleyK said:
I don't know the genetics behind enigma but to me they just look like a wildtype with a lot of sparkly iridophores.
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Agreed - it's just a wildtype with distinctive colouring. I have one very similar.

Copper is a simple 2-part gene that works exactly the same way as albino. Coppers are becoming more common though, it won't be that hard to find them.
GFP is even simpler - it's just a yes or no gene, and the are pretty common in the USA.

TBH most 'unusual' colours - like the enigma - are just an ordinary axie with unique colouring. Whether it's a slight purple tint, an abundance of iridophores or excessive dark spots on a leucistic, someone just gives it a fancy name and charges twice (or triple etc) the price.

I joked that my pale wildtypes with brown spots should be marketed as 'chocolate chip' axolotls and my golden albinos should be called '24 carat' axies and sold at £50 each....
 
Here is a picture of an enigma axolotl I found on the web.
 

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Yep that's def the top picture of a tiger sal larva. There is such things as enigma axolotls but they are super rare. I know jay sommers had something like that and might still have pics on his site.


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It was described to me once that the enigma actually starts off looking like a leucistic then over time begins adding excessive pigments and iridophores.

Not sure the genetics on them though.
 
May I just point out that putting GFP Axolotls under black light is considered cruelety. I assume you would want to do this if you got a GFP Axie?
 
What I mean is is it possible to make the gfp axolotls glow without it being considered cruelty? I think a glowing Axie would be really cool, but I don't want to do it if it hurts them.
 
No, if the axolotl is glowing it means the cells in it's eyes are fluorescing. Some light is unavoidable but any light bright enough to cause the axolotl to glow will cause discomfort unless it was already blind


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I believe they have what I would call more of a green tint kind of, a faint glow. Think jellyfish instead of glow stick. I don't think it's very visible. I've read blue light makes their glow stand out, but I haven't found concrete evidence on whether it hurt them or not.

I used a blue LED strip over my tank, barely hitting it as a night light and put it on over the tank before bed for night time viewing and my axolotl never reacted to it in any way. I would often find him near the cave closest to the blue LED light, where a bit of the light would go in, making me think he liked the blue light. After reading about the blue light possibly hurting them I stopped using it.

And yes, I think the UV light is also bad.
 
Cacique said:
I believe they have what I would call more of a green tint kind of, a faint glow. Think jellyfish instead of glow stick. I don't think it's very visible. I've read blue light makes their glow stand out, but I haven't found concrete evidence on whether it hurt them or not.

I used a blue LED strip over my tank, barely hitting it as a night light and put it on over the tank before bed for night time viewing and my axolotl never reacted to it in any way. I would often find him near the cave closest to the blue LED light, where a bit of the light would go in, making me think he liked the blue light. After reading about the blue light possibly hurting them I stopped using it.
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Do the GFPs always have this green tint? Should I get a light?
 
You can see the green tint in the light morphs like leucistics, but you can only see the green in the eyes of darker morphs. If you're only choosing to have a gfp because of the "cool" novelty that it glows I think you should reevaluate why you want an axolotl as a pet...
 
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Any light is stressful to an axolotl. Some tolerate it more than others, but it is always a good idea that if you're going to use any kind of light to provide lots of hiding spots and floating plants would help cover some of the light and make it more comfortable for the axolotl. I can't recommend on getting any kind of light other than a regular white light for viewing or if you have plants.
 
The gfp stands for green fluorescent protein meaning that any uv light will cause it to fluoresce or "glow" there isn't any other way, if you see a greenish tint it means some of the proteins are glowing. Uv light gets emitted by most full spectrum bulbs or if the tank gets hit by direct sunlight. My gfp wild type is just as sensitive as my gfp leucistic and while I use full spectrum bulbs there are caves and dark areas for them.


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My tank is literally full of plants and hiding places. I even considered moving some plants to my fish tank because the Axies would not have enough room to move around. So I definitely have enough hiding places and plants, and I am thinking of getting a weak UV light, and only turn it on for 5 minutes once in a while, if the Axies are not stressed by it. Thanks to all who responded.:happy:
 
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